Engraving, 1514. 171x130 mm; 6¼x5¼ inches, thread margins. A very good, well-inked and early impression of this scarce engraving, with strong contrasts.
According to the Art Institute of Chicago, where there is another impression of this subject, "King Solomon, famed for possessing the wisdom of God, kneels at the feet of an idol of Moloch, a pagan god represented as a nude man astride an orb, holding a skull. One of Solomon's 700 wives and 300 concubines points to the statue, instructing Solomon to adore Moloch. By adorning the domineering woman with a feathered hat, Lucas van Leyden (1494-1533) emphasized her foreignness and dangerous heretical beliefs. Despite Solomon's wisdom, his female consort, possibly the Queen of Sheba, turns his heart away from God." Bartsch 30; Volbehr 28; New Hollstein 30.
